Garbage Can Cleaning truck
VALPARAISO — Mike McLinn was cleaning out his 96-gallon trash bin one day.
With the water splashing back at him, he thought “there’s got to be a better way.”
McLinn, a 23-year member of the Valparaiso Police Department, hit the Internet.
“I did research and found there is equipment out there to clean trash cans, ” McLinn said.
Starting a business was something McLinn always wanted to do. He recruited his wife Brigid and their sons, A.J. and Max, to help out. They worked toward developing a business plan and “step by step” got closer to making the idea a reality. He also recruited friend John Hanna as a partner.
Max, a sophomore at Indiana University, helped develop the copy for the Facebook and websites along with door hangers to advertise the business.
It took time, mutual effort and about $100, 000 to launch the business.
Once the equipment arrived, they followed trash trucks, sticking the hangers on the handles of the bins.
Within the first three weeks, said McLinn, they’ve signed up 100 customers. Presently they are serving the 46383 and 46385 ZIP codes.
Simply, McLinn uses the washing equipment hauled by a pickup truck to clients’ homes, timing the cleaning with the day trash and recyclables are collected. The equipment lifts and opens the trash bins and uses a high-powered washer with water at a temperature of 190 degrees, to clean and sterilize the cans.
The high temperature water, which is disposed of at a local sanitary sewer plant, is the key, said Max McLinn because it kills bacteria. On occasion a biodegradable cleaner is used on the cans.
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“He pitched it to me for about 15 minutes, ” said Hanna, who works at Phillips Ace Hardware in Valparaiso. “It is environmentally friend and everything just fit a need.”
As far as Hanna and McLinn know it is the only business of its kind in the Region and the two are working on expanding the business to corner the trash can cleaning need in Northwest Indiana.
McLinn said its not that much different than his job as a police officer.
“Being on the police department, you are very community oriented. This is a service to the community. Serving the community is in my nature to begin with, ” McLinn said.
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